Tropical Parula
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| Parula pitiayumi (Vieillot, 1817) |
The Tropical Parula, Parula pitiayumi, is a small New World warbler. It breeds from northern Mexico and south through Central America to northern Argentina, the Guianas, Trinidad and Tobago.
It is a species mainly of hill forests, and does not occur in the Amazon basin. It nests in clumps of epiphytes, especially Spanish moss, in a tree, laying usually two eggs in a scantily lined domed nest. Incubation is 12-14 days, mainly by the female.
This warbler is not migratory, but northern birds may make local movements.
The Tropical Parula is 11 cm long and has mainly blue-grey upperparts, with a greenish back patch and two white wingbars. The underparts are yellow, becoming orange on the breast. The male has a black patch from the bill to behind the eye.
Females are slightly duller than the males and lacks black on the head. The immature Tropical Parula is dull plumaged, lacks the wing bars, and has a grey band on the breast.
Most Tropical Parulas can be distinguished from the closely related Northern Parula by their lack of white eye crescents, but hybrids exist in South Texas. One should also look for the distribution and extent of non-yellow coloration on the breast, and the extent of yellow on the malar and belly.
These birds feed on insects and spiders and occasionally berries. The song is a high buzzy trill, and the call is a sharp tsit.
[edit] Taxonomy
Tropical Parula has about 14 subspecies, with a wide range of plumage tones. Some (especially insular ones) are considered separate species by various authorities.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Parula pitiayumi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Curson, J., Quinn, D. & Beadle, D. (1994). New World Warblers. Helm. ISBN 0-7136-3932-6
- Birds of Venezuela by Hilty, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- Birds of Trinidad and Tobago by ffrench, ISBN 0-7136-6759-1
